KATHMANDU: A statute of former Secretary-General of United Nations U Thant will be unveiled in Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, on Friday.

The announcement to that regard was made by U Thant House, a museum dedicated to him, The Irrawaddy reported.

The stone statue is an initiative of the Lumbini Development Committee and will be unveiled by President Bidya Devi Bhandari. U Thant’s grandson, U Thant Myint U, will be present at the unveiling ceremony.

U Thant, the third and the first non-European to hold the position of UN Secretary-General from 1961 to 1971, had visited Lumbini in 1967.